Character SongFictions
by An0nym0usity
Summary: Lots of songs that I found matches up with characters. Some are character pairings, some are not. Please read and review. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

When I Was Your Man- Bruno Mars

"C'mon Luke, it's been forever since you partied with us. I hear ole Antigone's coming to the party," said Perseus, giving a little wink, and a hearty chuckle when Luke's cheek slightly colored.

This was Elysium, the ultimate partyhouse of the heroes. Luke knew that he should just relax, and party with Percy Jackson's namesake Perseus. In the beginning, Luke was giving him the cold shoulder. He thought that he was just like Percy Jackson, always insisting on doing the righteous thing, always so, _goody-goody_. But it was later, when he saw Perseus break some of the rules like not giving the gods some of his food.

"Hey, I appreciate the gods and all, but they have thousands of offerings. A couple of ribs missing, eh, no big deal" Perseus said good naturedly as he settled down next to his girlfriend, Andromeda.

They were the perfect couple. Perseus, with his casually tousled dark brown hair and his twinkling blue eyes and perfect muscles. He had a tan that would make Apollo jealous. Andromeda was beautiful. She had long, cascading falls of chocolate brown hair with shy, sparkling green eyes. But she wasn't the most beautiful though. The most beautiful was still alive, not yet visiting Elysium. She had choppy, obsidian black hair that looked like she had shocked herself, electric blue eyes that calmed him, like the eye in a storm, and a smile that could light the room. Luke stood up abruptly, startling Perseus.

"You okay, man?" Perseus asked a little worriedly, placing his hand on Luke's shoulder.

His hand was warm and heavy, just like the small stone of guilt sinking in his stomach.

"Yeah, its okay, Perseus. I'm not in the mood for partying. But thanks for asking anyway. Just go without me," Luke said, trying not to make his voice sound half-hearted.

"Are you sure, Luke? It won't be the same without you" said a new voice.

It was Andromeda, dressed in a white sundress that barely cleared her knees, and her hair adorned in fragile gold leaves. She walked gracefully toward him and looked at him. More than once, Luke found himself wishing it was the blue eyed girl staring at him.

"Yeah, just go. I don't want you guys missing out on all the fun" Luke said, turning away and looking out across the fake ocean.

"All right" Andromeda said before taking the hand of Perseus and gently leading him away.

"Andromeda!" Perseus said, lowering his voice and casting worried looks toward Luke.

"He still needs time to heal, Perseus. All heroes do. They still have memories of their past, maybe a family member or a lost love. They must learn to heal. Luke is no different than you were when you first came here" Andromeda said, then kissing him on the cheek.

"Very well," Perseus said gruffly.

Together they walked out of the room, leaving only silence. Luke sighed then plopped down on his bed. If this is paradise, he wondered, then why do I feel like I'm in Tartarus? He turned on the radio, hoping that he could lose himself in the music. Then came on Bruno Mars.

"Oh, come on" Luke said.

He was never fond of Bruno Mars. This guy didn't have to survive monster attacks so much; it seemed that they were attacking you mentally instead of physically. This guy didn't have to see all his best friends cut down in battle. All he ever seemed to care about was a girl, that A. didn't deserve him, but he still wanted her, B. a girl betraying him, or C. a girl that he loves. But just for this once, Luke decided to put him on, and give him a chance. The beginning started out melancholy .

_Same bed, but it feels just a little bit bigger now  
Our song on the radio, but it don't sound the same  
When our friends talk about you all it does is just tear me down  
Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name  
It all just sound like uh, uh, uh_

Luke decided that this was true. He and Thalia used to love the song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day. The artist who made the song seemed to understand the life they had back then. Not fully a demigod, safe and sound at Camp-Half Blood, but not a human either. He understood how they drifted in between the mortal world and the Greek world. But it was the crushing loneliness that nobody would understand what you've been through. Only you would. But when he was in the Titan Army, and he heard the song, he felt like it was taunting him about all the pain he caused her. Suddenly, he found himself wiping away a tear.

_Uh, My pride, my ego, my needs and my selfish ways  
Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life  
Now I'll never, never get to clean up the mess I made, ohh  
And it haunts me every time I close my eyes  
It all just sounds like uh, uh, uh, uh_

Luke cursed himself. If only, he hadn't been so proud. He would've just quit and save a whole lot of people to die. Ethan Nakamura for one. Annabeth wouldn't have almost died. She would've not got together with that little jerk, Percy. Most of all, he could've saved Thalia from joining the Hunters. Those selfish little brats. Couldn't they see that some boys were different. Luke pulled at his blonde hair and groaned in frustration. He wished that he would have one more chance to fix this. It was a one in a bajillion chance that he could repair the damage done to Annabeth and Thalia. His family.

_Hmm, Too young, too dumb to realize  
That I should have bought you flowers and held your hand  
Should have given all my hours when I had the chance  
Take you to every party cause all you wanted to do was dance  
Now my baby is dancing, but she's dancing with another man._

Now he felt like Bruno Mars was berating him, for all the mistakes he made. All the hints that Thalia wanted. Then there was a flashback.

"_Luke, are you ok?" Thalia said, trying to look into his blue eyes. a_

_Luke exhaled slowly, trying to relieve the small ball of hurt he had nursed for 6 years. His mother had gone into her "crazy mode", as Luke nicknamed it. Why did he go there in the first place? Then he looked at Thalia and looked at where a crazy demigod stabbed her thigh. He forced himself to smile. _

"_Yeah, absolutely perfect" he said. _

_To his surprise, Thalia rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm slightly. _

"_C'mon, Luke, give me credit. I've been living with you for, what, 4 months? That's not you. So are you gonna tell me if you're ok or not before I punch you again?" Thalia demanded, sitting next to him. _

_Luke smiled at her, a real smile. This was the Thalia he knew, the tough, hardy, beautiful girl that would stick up for her friends, even if she threatened to kill them. He glanced at Annabeth, all curled up in a sleeping bag, her princess curls covering her face completely. Thalia waited before he had the courage to look up in her eyes. _

"_I can't. Don't be offended, Thalia. It's just, I'm not ready" he said, slowly. He didn't want anybody to know his mom's secret. He didn't want anybody knowing about his fath-Hermes' mistake._

_Thalia stood up and pulled Luke up. He protested, but they both knew that inside, he was more protesting standing up. _

"_What are you doing?" he said, raising his eyebrow. _

"_Having fun. We need some time to relax" Thalia said, moving his hand on her shoulder. _

_Then Luke knew what they were doing. They were dancing. He immediately tried to move away. But Thalia grabbed his hand and pulled him back. She had the grip of iron. He looked into her eyes. _

"_Please" she said softly. Luke realized that he needed this as much as she did. A moment to be regular teenagers. Just regular. _

_They started dancing, slow, to a beat that only they could hear. The only thing that Luke saw throughout the entire dance, was her electric blue eyes and the black choppy hair that framed that beautiful face. There was only one word that could describe it. _Captivating. _Even Annabeth woke up and saw them dancing. There were expressions of pure bliss on each other faces. She giggled to herself and pretended to sleep, watching them out of the corner of her eye. Then they stopped, their faces so close, they could feel each other's breath. Luke then leaned closer as Thalia closed her eyes. He was about to kiss her when he turned away abruptly. He heard the voice of his mother again. "My baby" she crooned in a horribly rasping voice. He turned away, away from Thalia, his first friend and love. He turned away from the prying eyes of Annabeth who slightly sighed in disappointment. He turned away. And that was his first big mistake. _

Luke shook his head. He had to stop. Perseus explained that once you were in the Underworld, and you still had your memories, you got flashbacks of your mortal life. You only stopped getting them after you've "healed" as Andromeda said. He looked at the ceiling, but all he saw was Thalia's face, permanently branded into his eyelids.

_Although it hurts I'll be the first to say that I was wrong  
Oh, I know I'm probably much too late  
To try and apologize for my mistakes  
But I just want you to know  
I hope he buys you flowers, I hope he holds yours hand  
Give you all his hours, when he has the chance  
Take you to every party cause I remember how much you loved to dance  
Do all the things I should've done when I was your man  
Do all the things I should've done when I was your man_

Luke stood up suddenly. He took a drachma from a little cache in a bowl. He went to the Iris-Message-Station, or IMS for short. Perseus also explained that you could Iris Message someone, but you couldn't talk to them, and they couldn't talk to you. He hadn't used it once, not to check up on his mom, or see his dad, or even talk to Annabeth. He wanted to see her again, to feel her electric-blue eyes on him. To tell her, he was sorry, for everything. He turned on the spray and a beautiful shimmering mist spread in the air. He flicked the drachma through the spray and said. "Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me Thalia Grace".

Instead of seeing Thalia, he instead saw a woman. She looked familiar, then he realized it. Her frizzy blonde hair, the way she smiled gently at him and her understanding eyes. She reminded him of his mom, when she wasn't in her "crazy mode" and baked him cookies. He almost sobbed. He was a terrible son. He moved the thought aside.

"Iris" he said, crossing his arms.

"Luke" she said, bowing her head a little, giving him a nod.

"Look, I just want to see-" Luke said, a little irritable.

"I know, Luke, it's just that, remember the rules. Thalia can't see you. Don't change the present. When you see her one more time, move on, Luke. I don't want to sound harsh, but she is happy where she is, where no one can betray her. Move on, Luke. That's what she would want," said Iris, looking at him.

Luke was sure that Iris didn't mean what he thought with her words. But even if she didn't know it, her words struck him like a whip, fast and clean, but leaves scars. He nodded to show his understanding. Iris gave him a smile, but it was more of a sad smile. She faded away and instead saw Thalia, sitting underneath a oak tree. He wanted to rush to her, to see if she was ok, but then he remembered Iris' visit and he forced himself to stay. She was carving something, but she looked displeased with it. He stayed there and watched her. Until she finally snapped it in half and left it on the ground. She looked at the sky, apparently displeased. Luke took a closer look at what she snapped and his heart fell. It was a piece of bark, from that oak tree. Carved deep in it, showing the white fibers, was T+L= Never. It was split so T was separate from L=Never.

He swiped his hand through the air.

Thalia looked sideways. She could've sworn something was looking at her. When she turned, she saw a bit of an Iris Message dissipating. In the evaporating mist, she saw blue eyes with little golden flecks, a scar that ran from under eyes and under chin, and a mouth that whispered, "When I Was Your Man".


	2. Chapter 2

_Apologize-OneRepublic ft. Timbaland_

_Takes after, just a few days after Titan's Curse. When the mark of Luke's betrayal still marks Annabeth and Thalia. (Not a pairing between Thalia and Annabeth) _

**Bold=Thalia**

Underlined= Annabeth

_Annabeth's POV_

"Thanks Percy, but its ok" I said, smiling weakly.

He gave me a tissue. He looked a little hurt, but it was replaced by a shrug. I felt a little guilty about that. He did rescue me from the Titan's grasp and I was giving him the cold shoulder. He also had the consideration of giving me a tissue when I needed it. As he walked off, I realized that I was not ok. I told a lie to Percy. Every molecule in my body screamed to cry, to release it all out, and cry it all out. But I couldn't. Athena's trait about looking strong and a leader rebelled against all the molecules that wanted me to scream, to let it all out. So I stood there looking like a statue, like a fragile dam, waiting to burst. The last few days were painful. I was distant to everyone, even Percy and Chiron. Chiron let me take a few days off and I thanked him for it. I couldn't deal with regular demigod troubles. I snapped at everyone who wanted to comfort me, even Clarisse. I didn't know why until last night. **They didn't understand**. They didn't understand how it felt to have your brotherly figure, the one you had a crush on for 4 years, the one who rescued you and made you understand how it felt, just to have a family even if it was a weak one. They didn't understand how it felt to have that taken away from you, like your entire breath got sucked out of you. They didn't understand and they never would. Then I realized there was one person who understood. Thalia.

I got up and went to the Zeus cabin where I knew where she was. Chiron let the Hunters rest at his camp while Artemis recovered from her ordeal. All the Hunters crashed in the Artemis' cabin, except Thalia. Phoebe told me that being turned into an immortal has a very big effect on one's memory. But I knew Thalia more than Phoebe did. She was suffering. Luke was her best friend and possibly more. He was her first best friend. He protected her. "He was everything to her," I thought, sadly, but with a tinge of bitterness. Yet, he still left.

I opened the door in Zeus' cabin, always thundering. Yet I knew that the thundering sound, was not of Zeus' doing. It was Thalia's. I expected her to be storming inside, throwing everything around, being an angry Thalia. I did not expect her to be sitting on the alcove, her feet dangling off and staring at a picture crying. This sight wounded me for than anything. Thalia was always so strong, so brave. Sure, she got angry and frustrated like everybody else, but she never cried. Thalia looked up, instantly not crying. But when she saw me, she started crying again. She cried, with big, heaving sobs. I climbed up to the alcove to where she was. The picture she was holding was crumpled, but the pain it struck in me was great. It was one of those cheesy picture-in-a-stinky-booth things, but it was one of the only pictures that Thalia, Luke and I took together. We were young back then, with grinning faces and silly smiles. Then I couldn't help it. I sat down next to Thalia and cried.

We cried until we couldn't. Then Thalia surprised me. She started singing, a little croaky at first.

_**I'm holdin' on your rope,  
Got me ten feet off the ground**_

I caught on that she was singing "Apologize". I took a deep breath and sang too.

_And I'm hearin' what you say,  
But I just can't make a sound_.

Then we both began to sing together, song so melancholy and full of sadness.

_**You tell me that you need me,  
Then you go and cut me down...  
But wait...  
You tell me that you're sorry,  
Didn't think I'd turn around...  
And say...**_

Then Thalia broke out in a voice as clear as Apollo's.

_**That it's too late to apologize.  
It's too late...  
I said it's too late to apologize.  
It's too late.  
Yeah!**_

Our voices mixed, different tones but with the same meanings. It was too late for Luke to apologize now. After all the pain he caused us, it's too late. Then I began singing.

_I'd take another chance,  
Take a fall, take a shot for you.  
I need you like a heart needs a beat_

_**But it's nothin' new, yeah!  
I loved you with a fire red,  
Now it's turnin' blue...  
And you say...**_

_**Sorry, like an angel  
Heaven let me think was you...  
But I'm afraid...**_

_**It's too late to apologize.  
It's too late.  
I said it's too late to apologize.  
It's too late.  
Whoa!**_

Our voices, once defiant slowly started to tone down. The words started getting softer.

_It's too late to apologize.  
It's too late.  
I said it's too late to apologize.  
It's too late._

Thalia stopped singing and started to rest her head on my shoulder. Her spiky black hair tickled but I made no move to push her away. She needed this as much as I did. We were both so tired of Luke, so tired of decisions. But I continued singing.

_I said it's too late to apologize, yeah!  
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah!  
I'm holdin' on your rope,  
Got me ten feet off the ground._

A few minutes after I stopped singing, we both straightened our backs. After we sang, there was just something that fixed us. I had procrastinated that Luke was evil, but now I know the truth. There was no coming back for him. We had to move on. I had to move on. He was a lost case. Suddenly a black-haired, green-eyed boy came into my vision. I smiled slightly. Percy would never leave me, like Luke did. He would always stick by my side like an annoying, but cute puppy. Thalia grabbed my hand and there was a determination in her eyes.

"Never" she said firmly, her blue eyes still wet with tears.

"He's out of our lives forever" I said, shaking it.

Then we tore the picture of us in half, with me and Thalia on one side and Luke on the other. Thalia clenched her fist, the one with the picture of Luke in it. But then she relaxed. It was time for us to move on. She then threw the picture of Luke into the brazier burning by Zeus' feet. Then we watched his face burn. He would never interfere with our lives again. It was too late for him to apologize, now.


	3. Chapter 3

_Lego House- Ed Sheeran_

"Merry Christmas, guys" yelled Leo, pushing the red button that he knew would blow a thousand horns that would sound worse than Aeolus cutting the cheese, and shower the sleeping campers with exploding firework confetti.

The reaction was exactly what Leo wanted. They woke up. Just not as happy or jolly as ole' St. Nick.

"Leo!" roared Nyssa, stumbling from her bunk, a chunk of her hair sizzling and burnt off.

The others weren't as lucky. Harley sported a few scorch marks on his pajamas. Ryan had been one of the unlucky ones whose horn blew out rainbow sparkly glitter so it looked like Iris had barfed on him. The all stumbled out, looking very different, but sported angry expressions at Leo.

"Gods, Leo, why are you so…so" said Sophia, pulling at her charred hair.

"Leo" Cabin Nine suggested in a chorus together.

"Happy Christmas, guys" Leo said, ignoring all the curses and handed every cabin member their gift.

They all stared at their gift with surprise. Leo bounced on his heels with excitement as he waited for them to rip open their presents. Then he slowly stopped as they just looked at shock at their gifts.

"Why? Don't you guys like your presents?" Leo said, looking crestfallen.

Nyssa was the first one to snap out of it.

"What, no, Leo, we love it, it's just that I've never had an actual Christmas present before. My mom, you know, she-" Nyssa said, rubbing her arm awkwardly as she trailed off.

Leo looked shocked.

"You mean you had never had Christmas before?" Leo said in disbelief. His eyes scanned the faces of his fellow cabineers who looked down and mumbled no.

"Well, now is a good time to start as any," Leo said, grinning his signature crazy grin, and slapped a Santa Claus hat on Nyssa's head and ruffled Harley's hair.

Harley sported a great grin and ripped open the clumsily-wrapped present.

"Awesome" Harley said as he saw a Lego set, complete with all the Olympians in Lego Form.

"Now you can make Olympus from scratch and be the best builder ever," Leo said, giving Harley an affectionate noogie.

Catching on, the rest of the campers just tore off the wrapping. Soon the cabin was filled with the "ooh"s and "ahh"s of the cabin mates who almost immediately started playing or wearing their gifts.

"Thanks, Leo" Sophia said, immediately wearing the dragonfly earrings with little gems placed inside that Leo got for her.

Leo grinned at the happy sight in the cabin, with all of his cabin mates playing with the toys and happily chattering away. "I knew this would make them happy" Leo thought happily, but then an annoying little voice that Leo nicknamed Leroy popped in.

"Well, there's still that one present you haven't given yet. It's for _her_" said Leroy, rubbing his imaginary hands together.

"Shut up" Leo muttered under his breath.

Nyssa looked at Leo worriedly. Leo grinned, but it was a weak impersonation of his original grin. Then he stepped outside, letting the cold air cool his blushing face.

"C'mon, you know she's lonely this Christmas, ever since Jason left her," Leroy said.

"Yeah, but I'm afraid that she'll kick my butt if I give this to her," Leo said, fiddling with a metal sphere.

"So you're just a big coward. You've saved the world from Dirt-Face, you've killed Giants that should've never been introduced to the concept of ballet, but you're too chicken to ask this girl out," Leroy said disgusted.

Leo just hung his head. This girl was worse than Annabeth. She had a fire in her eyes that said,"If you think you can beat me, think again". She could beat you and walk away without a sweat. Oh yeah, just the girl for Leo. But he was afraid of not those. He was afraid that if he revealed everything to her, she might turn him away. He was afraid of rejection.

"It's obvious that you're out of love. Nothing I can do, but watch you beat yourself up," Leroy said.

Then Leroy faded away. Leo stuck one hand in his pocket and the other, fiddling with the metal sphere. Oh right, one thing Leo forgot to mention. This girl was Reyna. As he walked through the forest, Leroy sentence bounced around in his head.

_I'm out of touch, I'm out of love_

_I'll pick you up when you're getting down_

"Oh no," Leo thought.

This reminded him of a lullaby his mom and him (**sorry for the grammar**) that they used to sing, almost everyday to help him sleep. This song always made him shut off the radio, because it brought him too many painful memories about Mom. But now he forced to listen on a never ending loop.

_I'm gonna pick up the pieces,  
And build a Lego house  
If things go wrong we can knock it down_

Leo was then reminded of Reyna again, how he wanted to build a relationship. But if anything went wrong, he could disassemble it as quickly as he could build it. He slipped his sphere into a pocket and heard it clang with something. Startled, Leo brought out a fistful of Legos. He shook his head, slightly chuckling. Harley. But soon his grin faded as another verse came on.

_My three words have two meanings,  
There's one thing on my mind  
It's all for you_

He wanted to say them so badly. Just to tell her how he felt. His three words did have two meanings. One meaning was simple, he loved her. The other meaning was deeper. He would never let her get hurt again. He was willing to let himselff get hurt but not her. It was all for her.

_And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got you to keep me warm  
If you're broken I will mend you and I'll keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now_

Leo chuckled. It was funny since he could summon fire, but he got Reyna to keep him warm. But in reality, she would be the one to get right down to business. To swipe away all the silly stuff, all the pranks and jokes. She would be the one. But no matter how strong her wall, Leo could see past all those walls and see how shattered she was.

_I'm out of touch, I'm out of love  
I'll pick you up when you're getting down  
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now  
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind  
I'll do it all for you in time  
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

This is where Leroy's annoying advice came in. He was out of love. Personally, he thought Aphrodite or Venus or whatever hated him. Everyone he loved was always taken away from him. He loved his mom, but she died. Khione turned out to be the one who killed Festus. Thalia was sworn off boys for all eternity. They all turned him away. But Reyna, man, she was bound to hate him. He fired at her camp. But even that wouldn't faze him.

_I'm gonna paint you by numbers  
And colour you in  
If things go right we can frame it and put you on a wall_

In a way, Leo understood the singer. He was going to start the relationship the only way he knew how. And if it worked, he could go build a sturdier one. One that would have a support of steel and one that would never fall again. Leo began fiddling with the Legos and unconsciously began building it.

_And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before  
Now I'll surrender up my heart  
And swap it for yours_

It was true. Every time he fell, and he fell hard, he had his heart broken every time. But now, he was willing to trade his for hers. He had seen the sadness and pain everytime Reyna looked at Jason. He was willing to trade his, for her shattered heart.

_I'm out of touch, I'm out of love  
I'll pick you up when you're getting down  
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now  
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind  
I'll do it all for you in time  
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

Then Leo felt sure. He had to give it to her. Even if she rejected his offer, she had to know that someone cared for her. Leo walked over to the guest cabins that his cabinmates had built over the summer to house the Romans whenever they wanted to pop by. He opened the cabin, remembering by heart which bunk Reyna slept at. And no, he was not a stalker. Then he saw her and he caught his breath. There she was, her dark hair, like a silk sheet splayed around her and her pale, ivory skin. Leo smiled and pulled the covers over her. She looked so… carefree in her sleep. Her shoulders weren't pulled down from the stress of the world. All the worry lines disappeared from her face. Leo knelt down and gently put a kiss on her forehead. To his relief, Reyna did not tackle him to the ground as he expected. Instead she smiled a little. He knelt down and placed the metal sphere and his Lego creation inside a stocking that he made and hung it on one of the rungs of the ladder.

As he walked back out, he gave a little smile.

"My three words have two meanings. There's one thing on my mind, and it's all for you, Reyna. I love you," Leo said, then walking out.

All Christmas, everybody wondered why Leo skipped to the amphitheater or why Reyna hugged him and gave him a little peck on the cheek, or why Reyna wore a little Lego heart on a charm bracelet.

Reyna woke up and immediately felt a sense of joy. But why? She remembered a kiss on the forehead and sense of warmth and comfort and protection. Protection? She shook that thought off, but it stayed there. Then her Roman instincts came in. She had to wake everybody up and get ready for the war games tonight. But then she saw the red stocking.

"Oh, it's Christmas" Reyna thought.

There was no joy in that statement because her father, the first thing he did when he found out that he had a daughter was ship her off to relatives to pass her to Lupa. All the Christmas' that Reyna spent was on the road, with relatives she barely knew. It wasn't exactly the best memory ever. But when she looked inside and saw a metal sphere and a red Lego heart, her expression softened. She picked up the metal sphere, about as big as a snow globe and saw a little post it note attached.

**Dear Reyna,**

** I know I'm not as handsome as the Apollo kids. I know I'm not as powerful as Jason, or Percy. I know that you probably hate me because I fired on your legion. But I know that I'll protect you, even if you don't think you need protecting. On the outside, you think you are dull, and not as good-looking as Piper. You think that is why Percy and Jason turned you down. But press this button and I'll change your mind. **

Reyna's heart clenched a little at the slightly harsh words. She had half a mind to throw this away. She was a daughter of Bellona, not a daughter of Venus. She had no time to be fussing about her looks. She had a legion to protect. But in the inside, she did think that. She thought that the powerful children of the Big 3 turned her down because they had someone prettier, with Piper and her kaleidoscope eyes and Annabeth with her long curls of gold. But she was curious with what Leo Valdez had to say. She pressed the button. The outer shell shed, like the petals of a lotus unfolding to reveal the inside petals sparkling with the most rarest gems, opals, diamonds, sapphires, diamonds, rubies, emeralds. And at the center, was a pearl. Another post it note was stuck to the pearl. She caught her breath as she viewed it. The petals were thin, like paper, yet it was strong to support all the gems. The gems seemed to glow with a light within, made it sparkle on the ceiling of the bunk and on her face and arms. She took the Post-it note and read it.

**Reyna, inside your personality and inner beauty sparkles like this. Whenever you're feeling down, just look at this and hopefully it'll remind you how beautiful and tough you are. Merry Christmas, my queen. **


	4. Chapter 4

_Superman- Five for Fighting_

_ Takes place before a few days before Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Coach Hedge leave to start the quest. Rated T for suicide._

"I'm telling you. We should just rush in, kidnap Jackson and take outta there," Clarisse said, plunging her knife into the map onto the table.

Jason thought she was exactly like every other Mars kid over at the Roman camp. Handy in war, but hand them that requires more than sheer muscle to fix and they're stumped. Jason tried not to sigh out loud in frustration. He pulled out the knife, flipped it in the air casually, and caught it by the handle. He handed Clarisse the knife, who looked infuriated.

"We can't. Romans don't respond well to _graecus _storming in their territory. We might lose too many people and so will the Romans. They'll respond by a war, and that's the last thing we need. Or at least for me. For you, I'm sure that's exactly what you want," Jason snapped back, running a hand through his disheveled blonde hair.

Clarisse was pushing him way farther than she should. She was constantly pushing his buttons, about barging through, not caring how they should take it. Not caring that this could end up as what Gaea wanted and by the gods, Jason was not going let Gaea win, even if it meant an infuriated daughter of Mars, I mean, Ares.

But to his surprise, Clarisse didn't scream or yell back. Annabeth shot Jason a glare as Clarisse clenched her fists. This was surprising to Jason, since Annabeth didn't usually side with Clarisse. Even the Stolls were silently glaring at Jason. Jason looked up in surprise. Every counseler looked at him with fury.

"What?" Jason said, cautiously.

If there was one thing that Lupa taught him, it was, if you push your opponent to breaking point, tread carefully. To his surprise, it was Connor Stoll who responded.

"Don't you dare say that we want a war? All of us have been hurt in the last war, even Clarisse, or were you Romans too busy with your practice drills to notice an entire war going under your noses?" Connor said, with a little bit of contempt.

Jason's roman pride flared a bit. He felt like he was supposed to say something to defend his Roman camp.

"I'm sorry, who were the ones who defeated the Titans in Mt. Othyrus? Yeah, we were," Jason said, standing up to face Connor.

"Yeah, but we were the ones that brought justice to the minor gods. We were the ones that defeated Kronos, the king, and sent him back to Tartarus. Krios was just Kronos' bodyguard. We all lost somebody who was close to us. If you hadn't noticed with your big fat head, there aren't a lot of us here that survived the Titan War. Or were you too busy playing Superman at your Roman camp to notice? At least, Percy listened and he understood. You're just too busy with yourself, being Zeus' little boy, to notice," Clarisse said, angrily.

Jason stumbled backwards as Annabeth stood up. A tear glinted in the corner of Clarisse eyes as Annabeth said some consoling words to Clarisse. Piper rushed up, but she was too late. Jason already left. Annabeth stood up, but everybody could see the old wounds reopened in everybody.

"Meeting over. Let's start this in the morning," Annabeth said.

A mutter of agreement runs through the room and slowly a trickle of people left the room, even Clarisse. Annabeth takes out her secret phone and looks at the picture of Percy and her at the beach smiling.

"Oh, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said affectionately, with a tinge of sadness, "We all need you,".

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````Line Break````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Jason walked in the forest, kicking rocks and pebbles on a well-worn path. His calm face betrayed nothing of the turbulent thoughts going on. The word "Superman" swirled around in his face. He stopped and squeezed his head and eyes.

"No, no, don't think about it, no" Jason said, trying not to think about the brown-haired little girl with the gap in between her teeth that used to look up so adoringly at him.

But it was too late. It was like he could see her, all grown up as a teenager, sharpening her gladius with a angry expression on her face. Her face strangely reminded him of Clarisse. Then he saw her stand up and march on toward him. Then she punched him. It hurt as he bent over, clutching at his face, but not as much as the furious face of her face. It was mixed in with sadness and hysteria.

"You left them. You as good as killed them," she shouted, tears running down her face.

He tried to say something, but the face he had been taught to hold since birth, wouldn't budge.

"I told you, look after them. But you couldn't even do that. The great Jason Grace, couldn't hold up on a promise. I told you," she sobbed, quickly wiping her eyes.

He reached out a hand to comfort her and she slapped it away. Then she looked at him with betrayal written all over her face. She looked so shattered and broken. And Jason knew it was all his fault.

"You used to be my Superman, but now you're just another fake," she said, then turning away and running.

A few days later, she was found dead all curled up next to her brother and sister's shroud with a clean sword thrust through the chest. What made it worse, was that Jason knew it was all his fault.

Jason found himself hunched over, panting. He thought that flashback would be gone. Wrong. He had to prove that he was no Superman. He was just an ordinary guy. Jason chuckled darkly. No wonder Thalia left the Hunters. Out here, you had to follow certain rules being the son of the King of all the Olympians. Percy got some slack, but not as much. Everything you did had to be perfect. No wonder, Thalia left all the craziness to go join the hunters. But still, that stereotype was wrong. At Camp Jupiter, he had worked hard to own his own name. Jason Grace, toppler of Krios, instead of Jason Grace, son of the sky god. He was no Superman.

_I can't stand to fly  
I'm not that naive  
I'm just out to find  
The better part of me_

Jason thought this related to him. In his mind, flying wasn't just floating up in the air. Flying was seeking out power. Jason wasn't like that. He just wanted to help other people, who couldn't afford it.

_I'm more than a bird_

_I'm more than a plane  
More than some pretty face beside a train  
It's not easy to be me_

He wanted to be someone more than the son of Zeus. He didn't want to be a figurehead of someone who had it perfect. Jason knew that was what people thought, that he was perfect. But he wasn't. He tried so hard, not to let people down, but in the end, he felt like he wished it could all go away. He had heard whispers about how much people wanted to be him, but he had to fight the urge to tell them that it wasn't that easy.

_Wish that I could cry  
Fall upon my knees  
Find a way to lie  
About a home I'll never see_

Jason wanted to do those things so bad. But the Roman part rebelled so that all he wore on, was a mask, like the Grecian statues, handsome but blank, strong, but empty. That was how he felt all the time, like he had become so used to not showing emotion, that any emotion he had was gone.

_It may sound absurd:but don't be naive  
Even Heroes have the right to bleed  
I may be disturbed:but won't you conceed  
Even Heroes have the right to dream  
It's not easy to be me_

The way all the legionaires treated him, it was as if they thought he was invincible. But Jason wanted to scream that he wasn't. He was mortal, he wasn't a god. He couldn't do the impossible. He was just, Jason Grace. He just wanted to be Jason Grace, a regular teenager that cared nothing more than the amount of homework they get and the parents they want off their backs.

_Up, up and away:away from me  
It's all right:You can all sleep sound tonight  
I'm not crazy:or anything:_

Jason chuckled a bit. He hoped that he wasn't crazy.

_I can't stand to fly  
I'm not that naive  
Men weren't meant to ride  
With clouds between their knees_

_I'm only a man in a silly red sheet_

_Digging for kryptonite on this one way street_

_Only a man in a funny red sheet_

_Looking for special things inside of me_

Jason felt a little happier at this note. This singer said that heroes are just actually men with costumes on. That was it. They were mortal and they did it all themselves . It gave him a little hope that he could be one of those heroes. Just be known as Jason Grace, a hero, rather than Jason Grace, son of Jupiter.

_It's not easy to be me._

Jason felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He walked slowly back to camp, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. Then he saw Piper running toward him and crash into him, her arms wrapping around his waist and her head resting on his chest.

"Don't you ever leave again, ok Grace?" Piper said, her voice muffled by the sound of her shirt and looked up to him, half glaring, half relieved.

"Wouldn't even think about, McLean" Jason said, giving her a little smile.

Then she stepped back and socked him in the arm. It didn't hurt like the ones that Jason got by the legionaires, so just for Piper's sake, he said plainly, "Ow". Piper looked a little satisfied.

"That was for scaring me," Piper said.

Then she leaned forward and kissed him. It was a short little kiss, but Jason had never been more surprised.

"That is for coming back," Piper said, smiling.

(**How to Train Your Dragon moment. Awesomest movie ever**)

"C'mon, Pipes, I will always come back," Jason said, wrapping an arm around her waist and walking back.

"Of course. That's because you're my blonde Superman" Piper said, playfully pecking him on the cheek.


End file.
